NEW CONCORD – The Wilmington College baseball team fell behind early in both games as the Fightin' Quakers dropped both ends of their Ohio Athletic Conference doubleheader to Muskingum. Wilmington fell 9-8 in 11 innings in the opener, and lost 4-2 in the nightcap.

Junior Russ Neeley (Springboro, OH/Springboro) brought the Fightin' Quakers all the way back from an 8-2 deficit with a three-run homerun in the top of the ninth inning.  It was a part of a huge day for Neeley, who was 4-for-6 with a career-high four RBI, a double and a homerun.

However, the Muskies finally broke the tie with a two-out single in the bottom of the 11th.

Muskingum started the fateful inning with a single, and moved the runner over to third on a sacrifice and a ground out.

Sophomore Billy Foster (Xenia, OH/Xenia), despite pitching well in relief, took the loss (1-2).  He allowed one run on three hits in 3 2/3 innings of work. It tied for his longest outing of the season.

The Muskies scored five runs over the first two innings before Wilmington scored single runs in the third and fourth innings.

Junior Roenick Whitney (Goshen, OH/Goshen) added a season-high three hits, going 3-for-5 with an RBI and run scored, while senior Brandon Arehart (Wilmington, OH/Wilmington) was 2-for-6 with two runs scored.

Junior Tommy Chamberlain (Trenton, OH/Edgewood) continued his solid work out of the bullpen, tossing two scoreless innings with a strikeout.

Arehart gave Wilmington the lead in the first inning of the second game with an RBI single, but Muskingum countered with a four-run second inning.

Sophomore Blake Schmidt (Cincinnati, OH/Archbishop McNicholas) brought Wilmington a run closer with a sacrifice fly that scored freshman Ryan Henning (Milford, OH/Milford), who doubled with one out in the fifth.

However, Wilmington had just two base runners over the final four innings.

Sophomore Tyler Schrock (Waynesville, OH/Waynesville), in his first start of the season and first appearance since spring break, allowed four runs on five hits in 2 2/3 innings.  Freshman Samuel Cranor (Cincinnati, OH/LaSalle) surrendered just three hits over 5 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. It runs his scoreless string with 10 1/3 innings of relief.

Henning and sophomore Alec Hutzelman (Centerville, OH/Centerville) each had two hits for the Fightin' Quakers.

Wilmington (2-18 overall, 1-7 OAC) returns to the diamond 1 p.m. Saturday at Baldwin Wallace.